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Bush Voters Have Lower IQs
A table that breaks down states by income, average IQ, and whether they voted for Bush or Gore has been making the rounds. It appears to show, pretty dramatically, that the states with higher average incomes, and higher average IQs, voted for Gore. Whereas the lower income, lower IQ states went for Bush. The comment accompanying this table is usually 'Come to your own conclusions," or something like that. My first thought, on seeing this, was that it's awfully similar to the Lovenstein Institute IQ Report. But I suspect that the figures, in this case, might be correct... in the sense that they were produced by actual research, not just invented out of whole cloth. They appear to derive from a book published in 2002 titled IQ and the Wealth of Nations by Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen. I haven't actually seen a copy of this book (and since it costs $81.95 I'm probably not going to either unless I find it at the library). But the real question here seems to be whether, even if 'actual' research produced these IQ figures, do they mean anything? I've always been skeptical about IQ tests, so I would say 'No, they don't.' And I'm saying this even though I'm a Democrat.

Update: The IQ figures do not come from IQ and the Wealth of Nations, as confirmed by Richard Lynn, the book's author, whom I emailed to inquire about this. Therefore, it seems right now that the figures have actually been pulled out of thin air. In other words, it's a hoax. But it looks like The American Assembler fell for it, among others.

Update 2: The person responsible for the hoax appears to be a guy named Robert Calvert who posted the data to a Mensa newsgroup back in 2002. Presumably he did make the data up, since I haven't been able to find any info anywhere that would corroborate it.
Posted By: Alex | Date: Tue May 04, 2004 | Permalink | Total Comments: 55
Category: Politics
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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Even if it were true, it would be irrelevant and merely coincidental. If it is possible to find the average IQ, income, or test scores of Bush and Gore voters, not states, you would more likely find that Gore voters have lower IQs, income, and poorer test scores. This is not a slant on Democrats, but it is no stretch to say that most people living in poverty vote Democratic, and most middle class suburbanites vote Republican.
Posted by Dan  in  Chicago  on  Mon Jun 07, 2004  at  10:10 PM
cheese
Say what you like bout Bush, but at least, the country is moving towards real morale values.
Which is better:
Low Moral Values, extreme immorality and aborminations = High IQ

or

High Moral values, decent country with real values = low IQ?
Posted by olivier  in  Netherlands  on  Mon Jun 14, 2004  at  04:31 AM
hey, i think its true. Makes sense to me.
Posted by anonymous  on  Thu Jun 17, 2004  at  01:30 PM
I don't think there's a doubt Oliver, it's much better to have a High IQ than an old view of the world, like the one America has. This is the most advanced country in many ways, but its culture is so behind everyone elses. It's sad really.

And in my opinion, if you vote for Bush, you gotta have shit for brains or be right on the top and be doing everything to keep everybody on the bottom. I mean, look at that guy.
Posted by Vinicius Portella  on  Fri Jun 18, 2004  at  12:38 PM
This is proof that we need to transcend politics. What a waste of time.
Posted by Mark  on  Sat Jun 19, 2004  at  05:54 PM
Oliver, you think bombing the living crap out of poor countries is a moral thing to do? You kids need to grow up (I am not talking about physical age here) Moral is not something that only suits you, it‰Ûªs a universal principles.
Posted by God  in  Heaven  on  Mon Jun 21, 2004  at  11:38 PM
god has spoken....
Posted by ladymermaid  on  Mon Jun 28, 2004  at  11:53 AM
"Gore voters have lower IQs, income, and poorer test scores. This is not a slant on Democrats, but it is no stretch to say that most people living in poverty vote Democratic, and most middle class suburbanites vote Republican." I can see where you're coming from Dan...that poorer, less "successful" people tend to vote Democratic but I think you'll find that that is easily offset by all the racist, bigoted, church-going, white trailer trash in this country that, without a doubt, votes Republican. I tend to think of racist, bigoted, zenophobic people as "less intelligent". I also find that people who are capable of analytical thought tend to vote on the candidates' merits.

As far as middle-class suburbanites voting for the GOP, I think that's been pretty much been obliterated by the incredible prosperity and peace of the Clinton years coupled with the abomination that is Bush.

But this disaster of an administration isn't a "Republican" thing, it's a Bush thing. Can anyone imagine John McCain creating such a mess of our country? I highly doubt it. And there's nothing intrinsically wrong with conservatism, though it tends to slow down progress on issues that are critical to our society and to our planet. This situation is simply the result of having an idiot as a president.

Though the vast majority of the wealthy vote Republican, there are those few incredible humanists who have loftier goals than simply avoiding taxes and keeping "foreigners" down or keeping them out of the U.S. But their influence is so much greater than simply who they vote for.

Olivier, your statement implies that bombing innocent men, women and children is more moral than getting blowjobs in the White House and then lying about it. The hypocrisy I see in "church-going" people probably like yourself is painfully apparent. I truly hope that someday organized religion is seen for what it really is...mind control of the masses. I look at organized religion as being as dangerous as global warming as it results in the election of people as dangerously stupid as Bush.
Posted by Greg  on  Tue Jun 29, 2004  at  02:41 PM
Now I know why lions eat their young.
Posted by Rodney D.  in  Hollywood  on  Tue Jun 29, 2004  at  02:45 PM
Is it not interesting that those who posted comments attacking George Bush and the intelligence of conservatives (such as the one posted by Greg) merely make pathetic, personal attacks, and employ myths, half truths and outright lies as the basis for their silly little rants? If the mentality reflected in their posts is an indication of intelligence then I would prefer to be stoopid.
Posted by Philip Nolan  in  San Jose, California  on  Fri Jul 02, 2004  at  03:56 PM
i agree with phil
Posted by john  in  NH  on  Sat Jul 03, 2004  at  06:28 PM
Okay, I am not an American, but I have to say, it seems to me a very stoopid thing to do, to vote for more of Dubya Bush!
Posted by April  in  New Zealand  on  Mon Jul 12, 2004  at  07:26 AM
April spelled "stoopid." The evidence speaks for itself. heheh
Posted by john  in  NH  on  Mon Jul 12, 2004  at  09:45 AM
Please note the post by Phillip Nolan... where he spelled "stoopid".. Hehehe, it's a joke, innit?
Posted by April  in  New Zealand  on  Tue Jul 13, 2004  at  04:17 AM
good to know
Posted by john  in  NH  on  Tue Jul 13, 2004  at  08:32 AM
This is in response to Greg's comments on Tuesday June 29, 04 at 1:41 pm: OK Greg what I want to know is what basis do you have for your remarks? No expertise or evidence to back up your comments so this goes to show just how smart someone is when they cannot back up their facts. You are sir, one of the ones who help promote hoaxes and lies. As Neal Boortz would say, you are an idiot!!!
Posted by Sheri  on  Mon Jul 26, 2004  at  07:51 PM
Here is a popular quote that is truely meant for this subject:

From Neals Boortz's Website:

WHY I THINK VOTING SHOULD BE RESTRICTED

This is one of my favorites. From Alexander Tyler. No, he wasn't writing about the United States. This quote is well over one hundred years old. Tyler was writing about the fall of the Athenian Republic.


"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage."
Posted by Sheri  on  Mon Jul 26, 2004  at  08:22 PM
Greg spelled "xenophobic" with a z. Being angry and long-winded is no excuse for not proofreading.
Posted by Dan P.  on  Fri Aug 13, 2004  at  12:34 PM
Most educated people tend to assume intellegence equals wisdom- the two are not connected. I would assume that Marx was a highly intellegent man...I can also point out that his highly intellegent viewpoints resulted in the deaths of over 50 million people in the last century. My point is...this study has no point.
Posted by Paul Stewart  in  Illinois  on  Fri Aug 20, 2004  at  12:46 PM
In response to Dan who said on Aug 13 that "being angry and long winded is no excuse for not proofreading", well of course those are the best reasons,Dan. I challenge you to think of better reasons not to proofread. By the way, Xenophobia can be spelled with a Z or a Greek Theta instead of Chi if one wants to.I did it in 1978 and it didn't hurt my career at all.Harry Truman did it in 1948, however, but some calm proofreader caught it and look what happenend to Harry.
Posted by Bob  in  USA  on  Sun Aug 22, 2004  at  01:09 PM
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